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When to plant tulips in Quebec City: 28 September – 4 November

In Quebec City, tulip: plant from 28 September to about 4 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Centre SMG (farm supply, 11 km) and Centre Jardin de l'aeroport (garden centre, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Bulbs are best planted early in the window: late-planted bulbs may flower later or less well. Late planting works only while the soil can be dug. Mulch after planting.

The date is about two weeks before the average daily temperature here falls below 0 °C (ten years of weather): an estimate, not the day the ground freezes, and a cold spell can freeze it earlier. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Tulip in Quebec City: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–April; the coldest, January, averages -13.9 °C.

Planting28 September – 4 November
First autumn frost28 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -13.9 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring5 May
Daylight11:54 on 28 September
Daylight at the winter solstice8:32

The same dates in Quebec City hold for Garlic, Daffodil, Crocus and Hyacinth.

Tulip in Quebec City: depth, winter cold, pests and pets

Plant tulips at a depth of two to three times the bulb’s height, at least twice the bulb’s width apart, pointed end up (RHS). Where winters are very cold, tulips benefit from deeper planting to protect them from frost penetrating the soil (RHS); here the average daily temperature drops below 0 °C in winter.

In Quebec City the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 30 weeks a year (our estimate from ten years of monthly weather). For this bulb Wisconsin Horticulture Extension gives a cold period of 15–17 weeks at about 2–10 °C. The winter here gives that in the ground, so the bulbs need no pre-chilling.

Border tulips often fail to flower in their second year if left in the ground, so many gardeners grow them for one spring and plant fresh bulbs each autumn; Darwin hybrid and Kaufmanniana tulips reflower more reliably (RHS). Soils that stay wet in summer make reflowering difficult (RHS): in Quebec City the three warmest months bring about 449 mm of rain together.

Grey squirrels often dig up tulip bulbs: lay chicken wire over the bed until the leaves appear, or plant daffodils among them, which squirrels avoid (RHS). Tulips are toxic to dogs, cats and horses, the bulb most of all (ASPCA).

Sources: RHS, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, ASPCA.

Tulip in nearby cities

Around Quebec City, Saguenay is 6 days earlier and Augusta 6 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Trois-Rivières114 km29 September – 8 November1 day later
Sherbrooke165 km27 September – 8 November1 day earlier
Saguenay180 km22 September – 30 October6 days earlier
Montreal233 km2 October – 13 November4 days later
Augusta299 km4 October – 20 November6 days later
Burlington302 km4 October – 23 November6 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Quebec City

Planting stock goes into the ground from 28 September to about 4 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Quebec City OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop and 3 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Quebec City?

In Quebec City, tulip: plant from 28 September to about 4 November. Bulbs are best planted early in the window: late-planted bulbs may flower later or less well. Late planting works only while the soil can be dug. Mulch after planting.

When is the last spring frost in Quebec City?

Last spring frost around 5 May, first autumn frost around 28 October.

Other crops in Quebec City, with their dates